第1个回答 2011-02-24
木乃伊最初是风干的
在古埃及法老时代，人们认为，人死后可以复生，复生的重要前提就是要保护好尸体。
如何才能保护好尸体呢？5000多年前，最早的自然形成的脱水木乃伊出现了。埃及地处热带沙漠，长年很少下雨，空气中细菌很少。尸体埋在炙热的沙坑里，水分迅速蒸发，变成了“金刚不坏之身”。慢慢地，法老和王公贵族们对处理尸体的要求越来越讲究，自然风干已经不能满足需要了。于是，出现了精于制作木乃伊的技师和设施完备的木乃伊加工厂。制作木乃伊成为一项专门的职业。
制作工艺极其复杂
据史料记载，制作木乃伊的工序非常讲究。
尸体被清洗干净后，技师用石块在尸体腹部的左侧划开一个小口，尔后其他的技师开始后面的步骤。首先处理脑浆，然后注入药物清洗脑部，最后把药物和香料塞入头骨内。
接下来，技师要取出尸体的内脏，清洗体腔。需要注意的是，死者的心脏依然要留在原处，因为古埃及人认为心脏是一个人“良心的寄存处”，到了阴间还要过磅称一称。心脏也是人的生命和智慧之源。古埃及的《亡灵书》中就有关于守卫心脏的记载。
空空的体腔经过棕榈酒或椰枣酒消毒后，被涂上树脂，以防止寄生物蛀蚀。技师随后把已经包好的干燥泡碱放进体腔。体腔外也要涂满泡碱。经过35到40天后，泡碱会把尸体里的水分全都吸完。
尸体经过脱水处理之后，美容师们用亚麻布或者锯末填充尸体，然后缝上切口，贴上一块画有荷拉斯保护神的皮。古埃及人相信，这种皮具有很强的愈合力和保护力。
如果死者为女性，美容师还得为她编好辫子，并且装上宝石当眼睛，再将其全身涂上芬芳的香料。
经过上述处理后，技师还要在尸体外裹上一层层的亚麻布。包扎时，从尸体的手指和脚趾处开始，再到四肢、躯干，工序完成后，人们还要在木乃伊的胸前放上护身符和蜣螂雕像（也叫圣尸虫），乞求它们能保佑死者顺利通过阴间的道德审判。古埃及人认为，现世是短暂的，来世才是永恒的。因此，现在游人到了埃及，最有名的古迹都是陵墓和庙堂，没有村落遗址。
关于木乃伊的趣闻
尽管现在埃及不制作木乃伊，但是很多偏远的地方依然保存着遗风。
当年，西方人在卢克索的山谷里发现了40多具法老或王后的木乃伊，他们找来大船装着无比珍贵的木乃伊顺着尼罗河而下。当这个消息传到当地居民耳中时，男女老幼纷纷放下手中的活计，跑到岸边，看着浩浩荡荡的船队把他们奉若神明的法老运走不禁痛哭失声。两岸的居民越聚越多，一些男人不停地朝天放枪，女人扯开胸口的衣服，捶胸顿足，往自己的胸部、脸上抹泥巴，洒黄沙，人们用这种方式向木乃伊告别。
木乃伊在埃及人的心目中仍然是神圣无比的。
埃及的木乃伊是价值连城的国宝。法老拉姆西斯一世的木乃伊在埃及南部被发现并挖掘出来后，工人将其放在阳光下，由于天热，木乃伊身上的填充物受热膨胀，于是，木乃伊的手慢慢“举起”来，吓坏了所有在附近工作的人。
那些在卢克索发现的40多具木乃伊顺尼罗河运到开罗后，海关觉得应该缴税，但是税目清单中从来没有木乃伊这一项。
Mummification in ancient Egypt was a very long and expensive process. From start to finish, it took about seventy days to embalm a body. Since the Egyptians believed that mummification was essential for passage to the afterlife, people were mummified and buried as well as they could possibly afford. High-ranking officials, priests and other nobles who had served the pharaoh and his queen had fairly elaborate burials. The pharaohs, who were believed to become gods when they died, had the most magnificent burials of all. In the case of a royal or noble burial, the embalmers set up workshops near the tomb of the mummy.
The art of Egyptian mummification consisted of many steps. First, the body was washed and ritually purified. The next step was to remove the deceased person's inner organs. A slit was cut into the left side of the body so that the embalmers could remove the intestines, the liver, the stomach and the lungs. Each of these organs was embalmed using natron, which served to dry out the organs and discourage bacteria from decaying the tissues.
The organs were then individually wrapped using long strips of linen and placed in canopic jars. The lids of these jars were fashioned after the four sons of Horus, who were each entrusted with protecting a particular organ.
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1. First the undertakers cut open the body.
2. They leave the heart in the body, but they take out the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines. They place each of these organs in a canopic jar which is later buried with the mummy.
3. Next the body is packed in natron. Natron is like salt. After many weeks in natron, the body is all dried out. Now the body weighs much less. The skin in now like leather- harder and tighter.
4. The undertakers then tear fine white cloth into strips.
5. Then they wrap the strips around the body from head to toe.
6. After the mummy is all wrapped, the undertakers cover it with sticky sap from trees.
7. Once the sap is dried, the mummy is as hard as a statue.
8. At last it is time for the mummy’s funeral. The mummy is put into a fancy coffin. Then that coffin is put in another fancy coffin decorated to look like the person who died